UK Government called upon to step up opposition to whaling

In 1986, a global moratorium on commercial whaling came into force, in what is still considered to be one of the most significant achievements for the animal protection movement.

However, since 1986 at least 27,000 whales have been slaughtered by Japan, Norway and Iceland, under the guise of scientific research, or under reservations taken out against the moratorium.

Japan’s continued slaughter of whales was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2014. Despite this, Japan plans to defy the Court’s ruling and target a further 4,000 whales in the Southern Ocean in the coming years.

Commercial whaling meets no human need; indeed the markets for whale meat and products have been declining for many years. Whaling is also exceptionally cruel and results in massive animal suffering.

The UK has supported the moratorium on commercial whaling, but we need the UK and EU governments to step up and ensure that Japan and other whaling nations are not allowed to continue defying the ban.

Alongside our NGO partners, we are asking the UK government to commit to doing all it can to prevent Japan from going ahead with its plans to kill more whales, by linking its respect of the moratorium with the free trade agreement it is currently negotiating with the EU and its desire to join the top table at the UN Security Council. We are also asking the UK Government to persuade its European partners to do the same.

The public can help, by signing the Government e-petition and bringing this issue to the attention of government.